As long-time residents of Elizabeth/Hillside, we would like to pay tribute to a great leader and halachic giant, Rabbi Elazar Teitz z”l, on his passing. For 40 years we worked together and were privileged to gain from his brilliance and expertise as we watched him lead the community with supreme leadership and humility.
When we first moved to Elizabeth in 1986, we davened at the AI Shul. It was just one week before Pesach when we moved here, and we wanted to make a Seder for the Russian Jewish community. Rabbi Teitz allowed us to run the Seder in his shul and close to 100 Russians celebrated both Sedorim at Rabbi Teitz’s shul.
After three to four months of davening in the AI Shul, Rabbi Teitz suggested that we open a shul to cater to the large Russian Jewish community. We heeded his advice and rented a storefront. Rabbi Teitz made it his duty to make sure our shul was running and lent us two Sifrei Torah. Thanks to him, that Rosh Hashanah we had a minyan in that storefront, and eventually we moved to our center, Congregation Shomrei Torah Ohel Yosef Yitzchok.
As we began our work with the Russian Jewish community, we realized that many people were unfortunately sending their children to public schools. We met with Rabbi Teitz to discuss this concern, and thanks to him, hundreds of children attended the JEC School. Rebbetzin Kanelsky was entrusted with the task of speaking to the parents and seeing how much tuition they were able to afford, and Rabbi Teitz accepted her assessment unquestionably.
To illustrate Rabbi Teitz’s commitment to these children, we would like to share one of many stories. A child moved from Elizabeth to Clark and getting the child home on Fridays became an issue. Rabbi Teitz personally drove the child home each week, ensuring that he stayed in yeshiva.
Rabbi Teitz was involved in the Bris Avrohom Gala Weddings, where over 900 couples from the former Soviet Union were married. He would prepare all the kesubos, delve into the lineage of each chassan and kallah to ascertain that they were halachically Jewish, and then oversee that the chuppahs were performed according to Halacha.
When we went through our personal tragedy of losing our daughter, Batsheva, a”h and our mother, Rebbetzin Chaya Esther, a”h within a short time, we thought of building a mikvah to remember the mesiras nefesh (sacrifice) of Rebbetzin Chaya Esther Zaltzman, a”h, who traveled 36 hours to go to a mikvah in Russia, and Rebbetzin Batsheva Chein, our daughter’s namesake, who would take an axe along with her to the mikvah to break the ice of the frozen waters to immerse. Rabbi Teitz encouraged us to begin building the mikvah, which we did for both men and women. Rabbi Teitz was honored with affixing the mezuzah at the entrance of the men’s mikvah. In his speech at the time, Rabbi Teitz connected Rebbetzin Chaya Esther’s passing on the eve of Yom Kippur to the mikvah, as Erev Yom Kippur is the only time a man is required to immerse.
Rabbi Elazar Teitz, z”l and Rebbetzin Elisheva Teitz, may she live and be well, were part of all our simchas and we happily attended all of theirs. At each of our simchas, we were honored to have Rabbi Teitz speak and he always presented a unique gematria pertaining to the simcha.
Rabbi Teitz guided the community as their rav, yet at the same time, as a true manhig (leader), he was there to teach and guide each individual. The Jews of Elizabeth/Hillside were fortunate to have Rabbi Teitz at the helm of our community,particularly in the areas of Kashrus, Eruv and Halachos of Kiddushin and Gittin (Marriage and Divorce).
May he be a מליץ יושׁר (faithful advocate) for his family and for the entire Jewish community.
We send our deepest condolences to his wife, children and his entire family.
May the words of the prophet be fulfilled: הקיצו ורננו שׁכני עפר והוא בתוכם — May Your dead revive…Awaken and sing, you who dwell in dust” (Isaiah 26:19).
